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Doctor Doom (Marvel)
Dr. Victor Von Doom is the archenemy of the Fantastic Four, and a foe to almost every hero in the Marvel universe. Despite being a childhood friend of Reed Richards, he was always an arrogant and power-hungry individual so it was unsurprising that he would grow to hate Richards: the only man in the world whose knowledge surpassed his own. Often shortening his name simply to Dr. Doom this formidable opponent of the Fantastic Four has varied over the years but has usually been portrayed as the ruler of the nation of Latveria - this makes Dr. Doom one of the few supervillains in the Marvel Comics that has sufficient influence to be immune to certain laws due to diplomatic immunity. Story Victor von Doom was born in a gypsy camp outside of Haasenstadt, Latveria. His parents died when he was very young. His mother, Cynthia, was killed due to a bargain with Mephisto gone wrong. After a noblewoman died despite his attempts to care for her, Werner von Doom and a young Victor fled on a cold winter night. Although Victor survived, his father did not. Doom sought to increase his knowledge of both science and magic in order to avenge his parents. In his youth Doom fell in love with a woman named Valeria, but she resisted his advances. As part of a bargain with the Hazareth Three, Doom had her sacrificed to gain him power. State University in Hegeman, New York offered Victor a scholarship. While attending classes he encountered Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. Doom became obsessed with developing a machine that could project the astral form of a being into other dimensions, seeing it as a way to free his mother from Mephisto's clutches. Reed pointed out a flaw in Doom's calculations, but Doom arrogantly ignored his warning, feeling Reed was trying to upstage him. The machine exploded, scarring Doom's face. He was soon expelled for conducting unethical experiments.He blamed Reed Richards for this fault. Disgraced and bitter, Doom traveled the world. Eventually he came upon a small Tibetan village of monks who assisted him in creating a suit of armor. He returned to his homeland of Latveria to overthrow the leader and declare himself king. He then began to use his country's resources in order to further his plans of world domination. These schemes led Doom into conflict with the Fantastic Four on many occasions, as well as many other superheroes. Powers Doctor Doom has no physical superpowers. He is, however, in excellent physical condition for a human male of his age, and though a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, he finds it beneath him to resort to fisticuffs (Uncanny X-Men #145). His abilities in unarmed combat has actually allowed him to kill in self-defense an adult male African lion (DOOM #1). Doom also has acute personal will power and mental abilities. His will power is strong enough to resist the suggestive powers of the Purple Man, without the protection of his mask and armor, without strain (Emperor Doom Graphic Novel). He can hypnotize a grown adult human with ease (Iron Man #150), and even use his mind to control a Kraken, a giant octopus-like sea monster (DOOM #3). Doctor Doom has perfect recall from the point of his conception, not only his memories but those of his mother as well (Blade #2). Whether this is because of Cynthia von Doom's own sorcerous powers or some innate ability of Doom's is not known. Doom has also learned the mind-transference powers of the Ovoids, an alien race (Fantastic Four #10). This power allows him to transfer his consciousness to another individual's body, and their's to his (also first used in Fantastic Four #10). Those power also allows him to take over the body of an individual completely, transfering his conciousness while supressing their's without transfering it (Fantastic Four #509). He can then "mind-jump" from body to body, even in combat situations (Fantastic Four #510). Even though this ability effectively allows him immortality, he has (as of yet) chosen not to use it for such. Doctor Doom's greatest asset is his intellect. He is a polymath scientific genius, reportedly one of the eight smartest people on Earth (Incredible Hulks #606) with advanced knowledge in practically every form of science and technology on Earth, including but not limited to robotics, advanced computer sciences, advanced weaponry (such as directed-energy weapons), time-travel, dimensional-travel, bioengineering, cybernetics, and next-generation air vehicles, some with submarine and interstellar flight-capabilities. Doom's calculating and strategic nature leads him to use "Doombots," exact mechanical replicas of the real Doctor Doom, for many missions. The character has also used his scientific talents to steal or replicate the power of other beings such as the Silver Surfer, or in one case the Beyonder. Defenses Armor, Doctor Doom’s Original, first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 recorded appearance; Fantastic Four Annual #2 chronological appearance Doctor Doom's armor and mask makes him instantly recognizable to most of the world's population, a fact attributable to his infamous, high-tech, nuclear powered, computer assisted battle suit. Doom's first (and truly "original") set of armor was magically forged at a hidden monastery in the high mountains of Tibet; since then, his dark plated armor has been enhanced and repaired by normal technological means. Although a skilled practitioner of the mystic arts, Victor von Doom more often relies upon his armor for most of his powers. The armor is fashioned of a high-strength titanium alloy. Built into the right wrist is a video communicator, which he can use to stay in contact with all his bases from any point on Earth. To deal with those who would dare to touch Doom, the armor is built to generate a massive electric shock on command. The armor is equipped with twin jetpacks mounted at the waist which permit flight, though some suits contain a back-mounted single jetpack. Concussive bolts of force can be fired from the gauntlets and faceplate of the armor, though the mask only generates force blasts when it is not being worn. The suit's best defense is the force field generated by the armor, which has a maximum radius of eight feet (and so can encompass others); Doom cannot attack without lowering his force field. Infrared scanners in the helmet allow the wearer to detect heat sources, permitting night vision and the ability to see invisible persons (unless they do not give off or can somehow mask their heat signature). The armor is self-supporting, equipped with internal stores & recycling systems for air, food, water, and energy, allowing the wearer to survive lengthy periods of exposure underwater or in outer space. Optical scanners in the helmet allow the helmet's eyepieces to be used as high-powered telescopes, and parabolic ear amplifiers fitted inside the helmet allow Doom to detect extremely faint sounds and unusual frequencies within the audible range for humans. A thermo-energizer allows the armor to absorb and store solar and heat energy, and use it to power the armor's other systems; this system can only be used while the force field is deactivated. In addition, Doom often carries a pistol ("Broomhandle Mauser", at least in older stories) to dispose of weaker enemies whom he considers unworthy to kill with his armor's weaponry. Robots Doombots Doombots are exact mechanical replicas of the real Doctor Doom. They look like him, talk like him, and even act like him. Individually, Doombots have an advanced artificial intelligence program that causes them to believe themselves to really be Doctor Doom, and act as Doom unless in the presence of the real von Doom or other Doombots. These imitation Dooms have been created to impersonate Doctor Doom when he either cannot be present or is unwilling to risk his own life (such as when confronting powerful foes). In the 'Books of Doom' limited series, Doom reveals to his US government backers that his early prototypes for robotic men had developed an A.I. problem, they kept thinking they were people. In order to prevent his duplicates from harming or out-performing him, Doctor Doom installs each Doombot with a damper program that reduces the effectiveness and intensity of all of its powers when activated. This program is triggered whenever a Doombot enters von Doom's presence or the presence of other Doombots. In other media Doombots are merely the name of his robotic soldiers. In World's Greatest Heroes they are armed with weapons designed to counter the powers of the Fantastic Four (i.e. extinguishing foam for the Human Torch, etc.). Combat When Doctor Doom is out to defeat an enemy, he often sends a combat Doombot. They act so much like the real Doom, it is often impossible for a hero to determine if he is battling the real thing or merely a robotic duplicate. Combat Doombots are more heavily laden with weaponry and sometimes carry additional weapon systems in addition to the standard armor’s capabilities. Note: Inside the head of each Doombot are tiny mechanical arms and tools which enable the robot's head to completely assemble the rest of its body. This feature is used to infiltrate enemy strongholds—the pieces are sent in separately through a small opening, like a ventilation shaft, then the head puts them all together in a matter of minutes. Diplomatic When Doctor Doom plans to negotiate with others, rather than do battle, he often sends a diplomatic Doombot. They act as the real Doom, it is often impossible for a character to detect the robot's presence. These Doombots benefit from a more detailed intelligence program than the combat units, allowing more detailed talents and easier adjustment to random happenings. Warrior Robots, first appeared in Fantastic Four #85 This purple-and-gray robot is the most commonly seen of all Doom's robots—there are over 1,000 of them built & ready at all times. Though they resemble hulking humans in armor, they are obviously constructs. Doom has used an assortment of other robots for various assignments and duties. Gypsy Sorcery: Doctor Doom's potential in the mystic arts comes from the Roma (i.e. Gypsies, not the character Roma) heritage of his mother. He learned these abilities from his time with a secret order of monks in Tibet. He further developed his abilities by traveling through time and learning lost Dark Arts. Doctor Strange originally considered him magically proficient but only a mid-level mage, but now considers Doom one of the most powerful practitioners of sorcery and a potential Sorcerer Supreme. His knowledge and power is great enough to hold his own against the likes of Morgan Le Fay and Doctor Voodoo, the current Sorcerer Supreme. His knowledge of spell-craft likely surpasses Doctor Strange's, former Sorcerer Supreme. However, he considers his scientific abilities to be more important and has devices that do many of the same things. Mystical Blasts Mystical Force-fields Invoke Entities Spell Casting Summoning Teleportation Dimensonal Travel Mystical Ensnaring Mystical Portals Mind Transference: By training with an alien race, Doom has gained the ability to switch his mind with that of another nearby human being with whom he's made eye contact, a process which he learned from the alien Ovoids. However, Doom prefers his own body and only uses this transference power as a last resort. On several occasions Dr. Doom has usurped the power of immensely powerful beings such as the Silver Surfer, granting him the Power Cosmic - he has also held the power of the Beyonder for a brief period of time but was not powerful enough to command such godlike power. Other Media Dr. Doom is featured in the Super Hero Squad Show. He the main antagonist of this show where he is in charge of a more kid-friendly version of the Lethal Legion. Dr Doom is the primary antagonist of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. In this he leads the Masters of evil, to take the power of the God of Gods, Odin. He succedes and takes control of the world, but at the same time his power threats to destroy the universe. In the end the Avengers, with the help of Odin, manage to defeat and kill him. He is one of the main antagonists in Marvel vs Capcom 3, next to Albert Wesker and Galactus. 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